It’s What Is Outside That Counts!

While with people we like to say that it is what is on the inside that counts, when it comes to sustainability, it is what is on the outside that counts. All of the systems and improvements that we make to our houses in order to conserve water, energy and gas depend on the environment outside of the house.

We spend a lot of time making adjustments inside the house when it is the environment around the home that affects the consumption of resources inside the home. I have spoken briefly in these posts about microclimates. Microclimates are easier to control and modify and this is done with the landscape around the home.

In a nutshell, when you can cool the environment around the home in the summer and heat it up in the winter, you will reduce the consumption of resources in the home.

Another way that you can cool down the environment is with water features. I already mentioned how this can reduce water consumption of the plants in your Outdoor Living Spaces and flower beds. A water feature can also act to reduce cooling costs inside the home by absorbing heat and cooling the air outside the home. So add a water feature close to your home, preferably on the south or west side, in order to reduce the temperature around your home in the summer.

This is not to say that a water feature close to the home will cool down the home in the winter. The temperature of water fluctuates more rapidly than the temperature of the soil. This means that when the water is exposed to any heat in the winter, it will actually warm up the surrounding temperature quite quickly.

In other words, a water feature can benefit the home in both the winter and the summer. Not to mention the aesthetic value of a water feature in your yard. In summary, find a way to incorporate a water feature in your Outdoor Living Spaces!